We are now in a famous pasuk , Yermiyah 17,5 כֹּ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֗ה אָר֤וּר הַגֶּ֙בֶר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִבְטַ֣ח בָּאָדָ֔ם וְשָׂ֥ם בָּשָׂ֖ר זְרֹע֑וֹ וּמִן־יְהֹוָ֖ה יָס֥וּר לִבּֽוֹ׃ So says God, ‘Cursed is the man who relies on a person, and makes flesh into his strength, and from Hashem, he turns away his heart. This is a scary pasuk- someone who doesn't have bitachon is cursed! In his sefer HaMaspik L’Ovdeh Hashem, the Rambam’s son quotes his father as saying that without these last two words of, “ Yasur Libo / He removes his heart (from Hashem) ,” we would all be included in this curse, has v’shalom , because most, if not all people have some type of partnership- the son relies on his father, the lady relies on her husband, the partner, on his fellow partner etc. Most people don't focus their full bitachon only on Hashem. But this curse only applies if you remove your bitachon from Hashem completely . The term yasur means total involvement . If, in your heart, you rely on Hashem, but you’re helped by other people, that's fine. That's the norm. The sefer Derashot Maharit on Parashat Miketz says the same thing- doing regular hishtadlut through people is the way Hashem works. That's not what is cursed. The curse is on M’Hashem Yasur Libo / completely turning your heart away from Hashem. So these are encouraging words from both the Rambam and the Maharit. The Hovot Halevavot says something slightly different, that might be a bit of a stringency. In Shaar Bitachon (chapter three) he talks about the important prequesites you need to be successful at bitachon. One of them is “You make Hashem solely into the one that you're relying on without any partnerships,’ not rely on Hashem and on somebody else. He didn't say you can't do hishtadlut, but he is saying that your reliance has to be on Hashem. It can't on a partnership. Furthermore, he says, if you're relying on Hashem and somebody else, then that's lacking in bitachon. He references the great king Asa, who, pious as he was, relied on the doctors and was punished for that. He says that is what our pasuk is referring to when it says Cursed is the one who relies on man and takes Hashem away from his heart. He ends off with; “ It's well known that if you ask two or more people to do something, then you're appointing has really lost out. If you tell your three children to clear the table, no one clears the table. He says it’s the same thing with Bitachon. If you rely on Hashem and somebody else, then you're not really relying on Hashem. Relying on Hashem means I'm counting on You. I need You. I can't do it without You. If you say, “You know what, Hashem? I'm counting on you, but my father might bail me out or my uncle or someone else, “ This is the strongest cause (for Hashem) to hold back from him what he’s relying for, and he quotes our pasuk. People often say they had bitachon, but it didn't work. Hold on. Only Hashem knows what's going on in your heart. Can I say I was totally focused on Hashem and I didn't all rely on the doctor, the lawyer, et cetera? This is an important piece of information that the Hovot Halevavot is revealing to us. He says this is the biggest reason that people’s bitachon doesn't work. People always ask, If you have bitachon will you get what you want? Well, Did you really have bitachon? Of course, we know there’s Hashem, we're not questioning that. Of course you're relying on Hashem, but is there a partnership here? Is it 100% Hashem? We're not saying that if it’s not 100%, you won’t get anything. But to be guaranteed and get what you want, you need to have total reliance without any partnership. 100%, no dilutions, and that's easier said than done. It takes a lot of work. B’Ezrat Hashem with thought and focus, we can get there.